Reptile Zoo's cold blood melts kids' hearts

Jay Brewer wrestles celebrity Asian water monitor Frank who plays Mr. Kipling in the Disney show "Jessie" as he carries him out to show. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Jay Brewer, founder of Reptile Zoo, in Fountain Valley, holds some of his genetically mutated pythons, some of which are never-seen-before mutations. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A snapping turtle munches his lunch while being fed by visiting kids waiting to enter Reptile Zoo. The entrance to the Reptile Zoo is inside the adjacent Prehistoric Pets. Both are owned by founder Jay Brewer who is expanding the zoo. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A crested gecko is held by Eli Weaver, 3, of Santa Ana, during a recent visit to the Reptile Zoo in Fountain Valley, with his family. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Eli Weaver, 3, wears a creasted gecko on his head at the Reptile Zoo in Fountain Valley. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Darthgator keep an eye on a photographer while keeping another eye on his neighboring water monitor inside the Reptile Zoo in Fountain Valley. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

A turtle gets ready to snap for his lunch. Visitors are invited to feed the turtles at the Prehistoric Pets shop, where the entrance to Reptile Zoo is located. Both the shop and zoo were founded and run by Jay Brewer. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Jay Brewer shows off celebrity Asian water monitor Frank who plays Mr. Kipling in the Disney show "Jessie," . Frank used to have the run of the zoo until code required he be penned up. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Frank who plays Mr. Kipling in the Disney show "Jessie," enjoys the attention of admiring kids. Frank used to have the run of the zoo until code required he be penned up. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A curious water monitor surveys visitors at the Reptile Zoo in Fountain Valley. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A brilliant yellow python on display at the Reptile Zoo in Fountain Valley is one of many residents. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Chyan Guererro poses with Bob the Burmese python during her birthday visit to Reptile Zoo. Guerrero is a big fan of reptiles. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

It's a monument to the cold-blooded, an inn for those who slither, a schoolhouse for those who fear reptiles.

The Reptile Zoo, a herpetologist's Eden tucked within the modest exterior of a Fountain Valley shopping center, is home to an ever-expanding list of exotic reptilian residents. It has been educating and amazing children and adults alike on what its owners view as the wonder of these cold-blooded beasts.

"I have a passion for what we do here," said Jay Brewer, who in 1988 founded a pet shop that would evolve into the Reptile Zoo. "We have a tendency to fear what we don't know. It's rewarding when people fall in love with the animals."

The zoo – on Brookhurst Street, just north of Garfield Avenue – is a cove of strange animals with intriguing monikers. Darthgator is a 5-year-old American alligator. Thelma and Louise is a two-headed Texas rat snake. Twinkie is a 350-pound, 22-foot-long albino reticulated python, which in September will be recognized by Guinness World Records as the largest of its kind living in captivity.

Then there is Frank, the television star. He is an Asian water monitor who plays house pet Mr. Kipling in the Disney Channel original series "Jessie."

But the approximately 10,000-square-foot zoo is more than an exhibit of the outrageous. Its mission, Brewer says, is to educate people about reptiles, that they are no scarier and no more dangerous than any other animal. Some, in fact, make great pets.

Ball pythons are the Labradors of snakes," said Laura Brewer, Jay's oldest daughter. "I would suggest these snakes to almost anyone, and they'll have a good experience."

The Reptile Zoo has hundreds of species of snakes, lizards, gators, turtles and tortoises and even has permits to house venomous reptiles such as a diamondback rattlesnake and Gila monster.

The Brewer family – Jay, his wife and three daughters – also breeds hundreds of snakes each year, many of them with never-before-seen color patterns.

The family and the rest of the zoo's employees are building a new wing for the zoo, which will boast an incubator display for visitors to see the snakes hatch from their eggs, as well as, Jay Brewer hopes, Galapagos tortoises.

"And maybe one day a komodo dragon," he said. "I have big dreams for this place."

In the end, though, his passion is watching children – and even their parents – overcome their fear of reptile friends and leave the zoo already planning their next visit. That's why all it costs to get into the zoo is a $5 donation.

"This is a labor of love," Brewer said.

"I had a 17-year-old girl come up to me and say that she's going to study herpetology (in college). If you can inspire kids to think about their future, that's great."

Notable because: It has two heads. And two forked tongues. And two brains. The conjoined twins of the Reptile Zoo eventually will grow to 6 feet in length.

Twinkie

Species: albino reticulated python

Notable because: It is 350 pounds, making it the largest reticulated python in captivity, an honor for which it will be recognized in September by Guinness World Records.

Darthgator

Species: American alligator

Notable because: It is a 5-year-old gator with an awesome "Star Wars" reference for a name and eventually will weigh 500 pounds.

Frank

Species: Asian water monitor

Notable because: Kids know him as Mr. Kipling, one of the stars of the Disney Channel show "Jessie." Outgoing and laid-back, Frank is all Hollywood. And when he's not on set, he occupies the store entrance's main glass enclosure – so that the kids can get a look at one of their favorite TV celebrities.

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